Typically, digitally stored data have one or more associated “data attributes” (also known as metadata). These data attributes may be generated directly from the stored data. For example, a data attribute representing a size of the stored data may be generated. Data attributes may be embedded within data. For example, a data attribute representing a camera type may be embedded within JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) standard data. Further, data attributes may be stored separately to the data itself and linked to associated data. For example, data attributes representing a file name, creation date, modification date, and owner may be linked to a file comprising data.
File systems allow a user to display data stored within the file system. Such file systems also allow data attributes associated with the stored data to be displayed. When displaying data in such a file system, a user may be presented with a fixed subset of data attributes according to one or more different data attribute types (e.g., file size, file type and modification date) associated with the stored data. For example, FIG. 2 shows a window 205 of a file browser software application listing the names of files (e.g., 225) of a file system in a column 213. The window 205 also includes three columns 212, 211 and 210, listing data attributes representing file size, file type and modification date, respectively, for the files 225, 227, 229, 231 and 233. These data attributes may be presented in the window 205 by default. Accordingly, a particular type of data attribute may be displayed for the stored data even though the particular type of data attribute may only apply to a small number or even none of the stored data files. For example, the modification date data attribute may exist for only a small number of the stored data files. However, when a user displays the stored data of the file system in the file browser window 205, for example, the user may be presented with the column 210 even though only one of the files (e.g., 225) or none of the files has a modification date data attribute associated with the file 225.
Many file systems allow a user to choose which types of data attributes will be displayed together with associated data and the order in which the data attributes will be displayed. When displaying types of data attributes that do not apply to all data being displayed, a data attribute display area may be left blank for a particular portion of data to which the displayed data attributes do not apply. For example, the data attributes 219, 221 and 223 may not appear in the column 210 if modification date data did not exist for the files 229, 231 and 233. Alternatively, a default value, placeholder string or graphic may be displayed in the data attribute column 210 associated with the files to which the data attributes do not apply.
When displaying data attributes, it is common for a user to sort displayed data according to data attributes by selecting a header (e.g., the header 250 of the column 216) for a particular data attribute. For example, in Microsoft® Explorer® a user may sort by a “Modification Date” data attribute, by clicking on a column header for the column listing the “Modification Date” data attribute. In addition, the direction of a sort may be indicated in the column header for a particular data attribute. In the case of Windows® Explorer®, the direction of a sort is typically displayed as a triangle (e.g., the triangle 260 of FIG. 2) pointing up or down. The user may perform other actions on a data attribute header (e.g., 250) by using a secondary selection mechanism (e.g., by ‘right-clicking’ a conventional mouse or by performing a control-select) on the header. These other actions may include the ability to change the actual data attributes being displayed to one of a number of other possible data attributes that may be displayed. However, in order to change the data attributes being displayed, the user typically must scroll through a long list of the other possible types of data attributes (e.g., displayed in a drop down menu) even though some of these other possible types of data attributes may not even apply to the data displayed in the list.
Thus, a need clearly exists for a more efficient method of changing displayed data attributes.